Take a Moment
by abject.thread
Summary: Shepard is running herself ragged, trying to do everything as the galaxy crumbles. Garrus steps in to make her take a breath. A little Shakarian fluff for your reading pleasure. (Formatting fixed)


Shepard shifted in her sleep, drawing her arm closer around Garrus and curling her fingers until they caught on his cowl. She liked to nestle beside him at night that way, flush against his body, her forehead tucked into his neck as she breathed long and slow.

She didn't sleep much nowadays. No matter what she told him, the shadows under her eyes didn't lie. Nor did EDI. Garrus had her give him a running update on Shepard's downtime daily, not that he really needed it. It was clear when she was running herself ragged; everything seemed to slow down, just a little. She never missed anything or forgot anyone or neglected her job. Garrus was probably the only one that could tell. He could catch when her eyes closed just a moment longer than usual during a briefing. See when she took an extra second to pull herself up before meeting with a dignitary. Tell when her head sagged a little over a hastily eaten MRE someone had pushed into her hand.

Tonight, he had spotted her in the galley, pouring herself her umpteenth cup of coffee for the day. One of the Engineering crew, finally able to catch her during a free moment after three days of trying, was briefing her on the status of the Normandy and the repairs that were becoming more and more urgent. She was nodding as he spoke, but Garrus didn't miss the way her shaking hand slopped a little coffee onto the countertop as she set the pot down. His mandibles pulled close to his cheeks as his brow plates narrowed. Enough was enough.

Without a second thought, he strode over to them purposefully, catching the cup out of Shepard's hand just as she was about to take a sip.

"Hey!" She was certainly awake now, eyes narrowed indignantly and hands straying dangerously close to her hips. He stood firm under her withering gaze. _It's for her own good_ , he reminded himself. He was doing the right thing. She needed this. She'd been on duty for fourteen straight hours now. Enough was enough.

He turned to the Engineer.

"You have a report?" the young man nodded, opening his omnitool and after a few careful selections made a flicking motion towards Garrus to pass the file to him.

"You have my word that Commander Shepard will look over this and get back to you in the morning. Thank you, Ensign." The man nodded respectfully and withdrew, leaving Garrus and Shepard alone as the quiet of the night cycle hummed around them. Shepard slumped against the counter as soon as he was out of sight, eyes closing just for a moment as she allowed her mask to waver.

"Shepard…" Garrus took her hand in his, rubbing the smooth, pale skin of her knuckles with one finger. She said nothing, merely sighing and sinking a little further down. She was dead on her feet, had been for days. But there was just always something more to do. One more colony to help, one more political meeting to hold, one request from Hackett. It wasn't that Garrus blamed the man, but for Spirit's sake surely there was someone else that could take on these idiotic, insignificant assignments than the woman the entire galaxy was pinning their hopes on. It wasn't fair really, piling so many hopes and dreams and pressures on her. Behind all the publicity and the Alliance marketing and all the other bullshit Garrus saw these days, there was a real person there. Someone who had headaches sometimes, who got grumpy or snarky or took the last piece of cake instead of leaving it for someone else. Shepard sweated and swore and lived like the rest of them, she wasn't some transcendent being that could just _keep going_. She was just a person, like the rest of them. Someone who got tired and hungry and cranky sometimes. And Garrus loved that about her. Seeing that side of her, being allowed to see it, had been the moment he'd realised just how much she cared about him. Commander Shepard was never vulnerable, and yet there she was, showing him her imperfections, and quietly asking him to love her anyhow.

Garrus poured the coffee down the sink and took Shepard's hand, entwining his three fingers with her five. She followed unresistingly as he towed her toward the elevator and leaned on his shoulder as they waited for it. Once they were inside and Garrus had pressed the button for the loft her eyes did not reopen, and her head fell slowly to rest on his shoulder. Her red hair cascaded over his shoulder as he threaded his talons through it, savouring the softness and the clean scent of her shampoo. He didn't move for the entire trip, pressing his mouth plates to her forehead and just breathing in her scent as he felt her sigh beneath him.

When the doors opened she took her hand again and led her out, palming the door control for the cabin and stepping into the dim room. Gently, slowly, he pulled her down the stairs and helped her with her BDUs until they lay in a pile he would move to the laundry compartment later. Tugging the too-large sleep shirt she used over her head, the one that she had stolen from him after their first night together, he quickly divested himself of the _hryos_ he'd been wearing. He had taken to leaving his armour off on the Normandy now after he caught Shepard staring at him in civvies once. He particularly liked it when they had a moment alone and she would press herself against him. When he was wearing a _hryos_ , his casual clothes, he revelled in the way he could feel her body so close to his, the warmth of her skin and her rapid breathing that told her more about how she felt than her words. Abandoning it to the pile of clothes on the floor, he pulled her down onto the bed and helped to tuck the blankets around her the way she liked. EDI always kept the room a few degrees cooler than the rest of the ship so that she could do so comfortably. Garrus must remember to thank her for that.

At last he sighed as he himself lay down, Shepard turning toward him drowsily and pulling herself close until just her head was visible above the blanket. He smiled for a moment, looking down at her face. It was the most relaxed she'd been in weeks. He sighed, tucking her closer into his cowl and allowing his love and protectiveness to rumble faintly through his subvocals as she slept.

If nothing else, at least he could help her sleep.


End file.
